In progress and a real IT achievement (for me)! (Updated!)

It is Wednesday, and therefore it is W.I.P. Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced. 

What to report ... I made some progress with my two placemats for Valentine's Day (yes that would be for yesterday... or 14th Feb 2013 as the case may be now). Actually I saw it coming and I did not over do it on the hearts, so we may be able to use them before next year. 

The left hand side fabric is from Summersville on Etsy,
and right hand side one some linen fabric bought on Amazon

A tutorial to come on how I printed the quote on the linen fabric. Who can guess what it says? 


I can report NO progress on the shirt patchwork ... so there is no point to talk about it. 



I also need to make something out of these fabulous scraps I received from Indianna Dreams. As none of us really had some scraps, we decided to swap some fabric pieces. I was SO excited about it. She chose so well for me - look at all the grey and yellow. Need to put on my thinking cap now... 

Scraps

Winnowing is on its way, I am at that stage when I misjudged how much yarn I needed, and I am waiting, anxiously I may add, for that package. 

Winnowing waiting to be finished

FINALLY! I do have a button you can grab on the right-hand side bar... It took me AGES to get there... for something that is quite easy in the end... But everyone seems to have a different way to do it. (Sorry for those who came on this post before the updated version, it did not work, it should be fixed now and you can actually have your button...)

Anyway here are the steps I followed (a mix of different helpful blogger suggestions):


1. Choose your picture (I used my banner one... made sense right). I edited the picture with Picnik. 


2. I resized it to 125x 150 (should not be bigger than 150 to make sure it fits on other bloggers side bars)


3. Upload the picture to an online photo gallery service. I tried through Picasa, but my picture never appeared in the end (if someone managed to resolve that problem, please let me know). So I used Photobucket in the end - it is free and very fast. You get the HTML of your picture on the right hand-side.


4.Got to layout in blogger, to the design bar, and add an HTML gadget to the place you want your button to show. 


5. You can add a title ('Grab my button')


6. Copy the HTML Code you can find here. 


7. Paste the above HTML Code into the HTML gadget


8. Replace YOUR WEB ADDRESS by your blog address


9. Replace BLOG TITLE by a blog title of your choice (mine says Inspirations for Handmade)


10. Replace the IMAGE HTML ADDRESS by the HTML Code you found on Photobucket


11. Save it, test it and let me know how you got on! 

What does blogging means to me - by Emma

The blogging web

Hey everyone! So we’ve made it to Friday – yay!

Emma here from Gawgus Things having the honour of Guest Posting whilst Nat is off having fun!

It’s been fun reading all the other posts that have been popping up in Nat’s absence and today it’s my turn to tell you what blogging means to me!

I started regularly blogging in October 2010. I’d started reading other blogs a few months before and loved them so much that I really wanted to be part of the blogging scene.

I’ve been extremely lucky since I’ve started blogging in that I’ve only ever had positive experiences with my fellow bloggers. I know, I know, you haven’t succeeded unless you’ve received at least one negative comment so I’ve still got a way to go ;)

Since I’ve started blogging I’ve been overwhelmed by the amount of talent that is out there. Whether it’s how someone has styled an outfit, a DIY that they’ve done, a skill that they’ve shared or a place that they’ve visited; I’m still amazed every day by what I come across.

I feel like I’m learning every day from people I’ve unfortunately never met, or likely to either, but I love it when you get a connection with someone (hey, Nat!) and feel that a genuine friendship is building.

I love the support you get if you’re feeling a bit down or want advice on something or help on how to do something. Everyone is so open and eager to help you either feel better or get a task done.

The blogging world has made me push boundaries, open my eyes and given me the courage to just go for it! Thank you all for this, I give you a big cheer and hugs all round J

Don’t forget there’s still time to enter Nat’s fantastic giveaway. Just click here for details!!

My thoughts on blogging (Popbabe7)

Hi everyone I'm hijacking Noa's Libellule blog for today! For those of you who don't know me, my blogging ID is Popbabe7 and you can find me here. We've been old blogging buddies now, and when she requested me to guest post I felt very privileged as she is just so fabulous!

I have been known to start a blog, write a couple of posts, cringe when re-reading them and then deleting the whole thing altogether, hoping that nobody other than me read it!!! I bet most of us did that didn't we? It is very hard to start a blog, and unless you have a clear idea of what you want to write about this is just going to be a collection of random posts (some people are great at it- I am not!). I felt more at ease when my blog got a "direction" and I started writing about learning to sew and knit. It even got easier when I started my "A Project A Week" in 2011. Overall I did a good job at updating regularly my blog, and blogging has become a bit of a second nature to me now. Even when I haven't been busy myself I try to share my thoughts, and will include pictures that inspire me.

Some of my projects from"A Project A Week"

The best bit about blogging for me is meeting new people. I always get very excited when someone takes the time to leave a comment about one of my posts, and I also love to discover new blogs who will inspire me. Back in December I had my first blogger meet-up and had a fantastic day- highly recommended!! Because sewing and knitting tend to be "solitary" hobbies (unless you join a knitting group) it is lovely to know that there are some people out there sharing the same passion, and willing to pass on some of their wisdom should you get stuck on a project! Did I also mention that the people in the craft community are the nicest people ever?? I have blogged about things that have gone terribly wrong, because I'm quite honest and hoped that maybe I would get some help from crafters more experienced and more talented than me. All I got was kind words of encouragement- which is really good when you are not so confident!!

You also know that people who blog about something are truly interested in it. Is it just me who found myself getting all excited about a knitting pattern/ sewing project only to be met with a blank/ amused stare from my partner/ colleagues? At least on blogs you can oooohh and ahhhh over a finished project without other people being worried for your sanity!

Finally I was asked to provide a picture which will sum up my idea of blogging. I am a notoriously bad photographer- most some of the pics on my blog are atrocious, so I pinched a picture from Shakespeare and Company, a library in France. I often see the internet as a giant town with all its good and bad things, big shops, small shops, dark areas, luxury quarters and so on. In this town, blogs are little clusters of knowledge and passion, scattered on virtual library shelves.I thought this was the perfect picture to represent my idea of the blogging community.

Source

 

That's it from me! Before you go, don't forget to enter Noas' Libellule fantastic giveaway- you still have time to enter and share your thoughts about what blogging means to you. Thanks for reading my ramblings!!

x

What the blog?

Hello Noas' Libellule readers and visitors! I'm Lucy and I blog at Charm About You.

I'll be taking over this space today so I hope you don't mind!

I've been asked to share a little about what blogging means to me. I've been thinking about it a lot and it's really hard not to come off cheesy or just end up repeating what countless others say. Nathalie said I could include a picture, which helps because that's sometimes the best way to explain something.

My husband took this picture of my son some time ago,
he's looking through a cardboard box!

I blog about my quilting, this is not a sewing related picture and yet I immediately knew that this picture best represents how I feel about blogging.

There's a sense of exploration; of myself, my creativity, growth, skills and possibilities.

I feel like blogging is a way of looking out into the world, framing myself in the process. Connecting with others, telling my story, sharing my sewing journey.

The light is so crucial to this picture and blogging for me has created so much light. I don't have to hark on to people who aren't interested in my sewing, I have a place to share with like minded people, I have encouragement, support and friends. I follow and read so many interesting blogs, I feel inspired every day seeing people's creations, discovering techniques and learning so much from everyone. It's led me to challenge myself, to do things I wouldn't have even considered on my own and to begin to develop my own sewing and writing style.

There's a dreamy, pensive quality to this picture too. I'm a full time mum and despite the fact I adore what I do there's a longing to fulfill another part of myself - for me quilting and blogging are something I do that's mine. I ponder, I prepare, I sew, I make, I write, I share. Those rays of light are those wonderful cables that link me to all of you!
(I knew this would end up being cheesy)


I've been very lucky since I started blogging last year and wanted to help spread some joy (or not!!). I'm having a Fugly Fabric Party over on my blog starting tomorrow, I'd love for you to come and check it out!

Also if you haven't already seen it you must immediately go and enter Nathalie's giveaway - the girl has seriously good taste! Must be why we're friends ;)

Resuming activity

Hello guys! happy Thursday! So blogging, tweeting and commenting on other blogs have been on hold for a bit - too many business trips, not enough sleep and a general shorter days' sluggishness. Not the greatest excuse but that is all I have... But I have a wonderful picture of my flight back from Milan...

So am I forgiven? Hope you are all great wherever you are and whatever you are doing!